The Stars Are Barking
by CUtopia
Summary: Space!AU - The pulsar above him is barking - wait, that can't be right: Marcus investigates, and a door opens up for him.


Entry for the **Quidditch Fanfiction League Competition** , _Season 6, Round 4_ – Wigtown Wanderers vs Holyhead Harpies

 **Position:** Captain

 **Prompt:** Write about someone known to be stoic/cold/aloof using baby-talk with a pet. (You can also write a character who isn't from the usual set of poker-faced ones we know as long as they're shown to be stoic/cold/aloof within the story.)

 **Word Count:** 2,570

 **Betas:** DinoDina, AyaDiefair

I recently finished reading "The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet" and I think it kinda inspired this. Check it out if you like science fiction :)

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 **The Stars Are Barking**

Marcus Flint took a big sip from the bottle of Starwhiskey he'd brought with him before pushing it back into the reddish sand and leaning back against the dry tree he was sitting under, raising his head towards the sky.

Above him, the whole universe unfolded itself in its dark, enigmatic elegance. The constellations of gleaming stars thousands of light-years away, mysterious nebulas in between the far galaxies, the close gas giant Col'cha and its dozens of moons looming over Space Port One majestically.

Marcus had seen many places in the milky way, had gazed up at so many night skies, but the sky above Le'chan, the tiny planet the giant SPONE with its docks, expansive markets and over-populated space scrapers had been built on, was still the most beautiful one in the galaxy. He'd never called any place a home, but no matter how far he roamed on his jobs in the… well, 'security' sector, he was always drawn back to the crowded streets of Space Port One. Species from all corners of the galaxies gathered here for trade, politics and enjoyment, filling the markets, bars and game halls with colour and a hundred different tongues and cultures.

But today, he just hadn't been able to stand the buzzing of the city, its restlessness; the colours and smells and people had caused a horrible headache and the feeling of needing more space and air. It had been hard on the line of actual panic, and that had led him out of the city in search for calm, silence and peace.

The way he'd reacted had shown him just how much his last long time solo mission, during which he'd been isolated for weeks, had messed with his head. And that despite him being quite used to being alone for long stretches of time – a break sounded like just the right thing. It didn't surprise him, though, that after a long time of isolation, it was loneliness that felt cathartic, and company like poison. He'd always been like that, preferring to stay on his own once his young mind had realised that no one wanted to be around him anyway.

Too distant, too stubborn, too untrusting. Indifferent to other people's problems and feelings. Unable to open himself.

Once people had realised that, they'd abandoned their attempts of building any kind of connection, and Marcus seriously couldn't blame them. Nobody would want to know about his messed up childhood on Mars, about the neglect of his father who'd never been home, and if he'd been, he had treated Marcus like an intruder in his home.

Being alone was good, as a choice, at least. He could make this choice consciously every day.

Without roots, without friends, there was no reason for him to stay anywhere for long, and he was okay with that. It was working just fine for him, he didn't need anybody around anyway.

But yet there was a small part of him, hidden deep inside, that asked itself how it would be to have a place to call home, with people who were waiting for him to come back after a long trip. These thoughts, though entirely hypothetical, carried him away as he continued to gaze up into the infinity of the universe, spaceships ascending into it and descending from it, journeys beginning and ending in an never ending cycle, just like in his own life. He followed one of the ships with his eyes as it broke through the atmosphere; it was big enough so he could see it even from a hundred kilometers away. A mobile science station, carrying thousands of souls into the most secluded corners of the galaxy, far away from civilisation, and yet nobody on board was alone, they had their families…

The ship passed a pulsar, and Marcus' gaze got caught at its blue, rhythmic flashing, almost hypnotising, and it had been gone just in time, before his mind could go down another depressing track. He had to focus on the here and now, on the present, not the past.

Concentrating on the blue dot above, he forced his mind into silence. He needed to relax; his next mission was already planned, and thus he had to make the best of every free minute he had.

Deep breaths of wonderful, fresh planet air filled his lungs and left it slowly, and it worked after a few minutes, his system started to slow as he took in the beauty of the universe without questioning its powers.

Blue light, flashing, dying down… flashing… dying down… flashing and barking… dying down…

Confusion crept up in Marcus and he suspected that his mind had played a trick on him, but upon the next blue flash, the barking sound was audible again. Could it be that the pulsar…

A startled scream left him without dignity when something small and utterly furry suddenly landed on his chest and a warm, wet tongue connected with his cheek, dragging over its whole length in a sloppy kiss before the barking sound of a few seconds before sounded again.

"Holy shit, get off me you monster!" Marcus cursed in shock, shooting into an upright position, and the fluff ball rolled down his chest, landing in his lap. However, that didn't seem to discourage him – a few seconds later, Marcus found himself being climbed for more kisses. "Stop!"

Only now did he realise just what was attacking him with affection here: a seriously weird breed of what probably was supposed to be a dog, fur a weird greyish-blue colour, unnaturally large ears and a face that could make even the most bloodthirsty species coo.

Well, except for Marcus, of course.

He didn't find this… thing cute at all, he told himself, and it only getting more determined to show affection when he tried to push it off his lap with gentle force was just so utterly inconveniencing, not flattering.

"Go away!" he growled, trying to appear as intimidating as possible, but the creature didn't move, just looked up at him, tongue hanging out of its mouth, and Marcus rolled his eyes. Time to change to a different tactic.

"Oooh… you wanna cuddle?" he cooed in the weirdest baby voice he could manage and leaned over the dog. "How about you go back from where you came from, you little flea carpet, before the big scary man makes you go, hm?"

A loud, amused chuckle behind him made him aware of the possibility that this dog had an owner for the first time, and had he not had so much control over himself, he would have flushed like a tomato. It definitely didn't fit his image to be caught in a situation like this.

"That's not going to help make him afraid of you, y'know. Though Woody is afraid of nothing to begin with. He would trustingly jump into a crocodile's mouth."

He looked up, eyes widening as his gaze fell onto a woman around his age, a leash dangling casually over her shoulder. Her hands were hidden deeply in the pockets of her dungarees, her toes digging into the sand, and her brown eyes were twinkling with the smirk she wore.

Humans were only seen as conventionally beautiful in the myriad of species in the galaxies, but to Marcus, she was the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen.

The dog – or Woody, as he'd learned now – used the moment of distraction to climb him again, licking all over his scruffy jaw, and Marcus made a disgusted noise, causing the woman to laugh.

"Woody, c'me here, let the big scary man stare up to the stars in grim brooding!"

She winked at Marcus and approached him, lifting the struggling ball of fur off his lap. "I hope he didn't bother you too much."

Finally, Marcus' brain snapped back into working mode, and he hurried to shake his head: "It's okay, I was just… surprised and confused and... "

"Not up for cuddles, obviously. Or company."

"Yeah, just… there were too many people in SPONE, y'know."

"There are always too many people there," she replied with a chuckle, cocking her head slightly as she looked down at him, as if she was trying to read him. It didn't make Marcus uncomfortable, but still a little scared that she could actually find something during her scrutiny.

"I guess I'll leave you alone, then."

She gave him another smile – seriously, why did it make him feel so warm on the inside? – and turned around, Woody looking at him over her shoulder, but then she hesitated.

"Hey… if you want to have company somewhere quiet… you can always drop by. I live in the town beyond the hills, by the Sem Lake. Ask for Katie."

OoO

Marcus didn't need company. Or someone to talk about what he actually needed. Or just a break from the hustle of Space Port One, at a new place, with new people… no, definitely not. His next work assignment was what he had to focus on, nothing else.

Or at least, that was what he was trying to tell himself over the course of the evening and the next morning.

But Katie's offer just wouldn't leave his head, and in moments during which his head was unoccupied, her smile would enter his thoughts.

And so he found himself climbing from a hover taxi in the middle of a small village, the beautiful houses built along the curved shore of the lake, the late afternoon from the twin suns of the Cha system dipping the water into a gleaming, golden light. People, old and young, were sitting in small groups on the front porches of the houses, talking, drinking, eating. Others strolled down the street calmly, gazing over the lake, or did some shopping on the small market place where the taxi had dropped him off, vegetable and fruit stalls mingling with fish vendors and cafés.

This place was full of life, like the streets at SPONE, and yet it was completely different.

The amount of people on the street didn't make Marcus uneasy, it wasn't crowded, and it was weirdly calm. Everyone seemed relaxed, people smiled at him as they walked past him… He couldn't help but stand there and stare, completely bewildered in this moment.

"Looks like you got curious."

Marcus turned around, trying to act cool and collected when he saw Katie standing there, carrying a basket of groceries and a big smirk. Woody was nowhere to be seen, and he assumed that he'd been left at home, since the weird dog would otherwise be all over him already.

"Well, I can't say no to free food and a good view."

A knowing gleam filled her eyes – he couldn't fool her. And he couldn't help but wonder _why_.

She gestured for him to follow and they walked down the street for a few minutes before reaching a small house a little away from the market. The moment they stepped through the gate, Marcus saw a greyish-blue fluff ball shoot towards him, and before he could react, Woody was jumping around him, short tail wagging in excitement, tongue hanging out.

"Hi, flea carpet," he said in a sickly sweet voice as the dog tried to climb up his leg, obviously desperate for cuddles, and Katie laughed about how lost he was about how to react.

"Looks like you got a new best friend."

"You said he would even think that a predator about to eat him is his best friend, so if I were you, I wouldn't trust his judgement."

He'd heard so many times that attempts of friendship with him were futile, that no one should bother to waste time on him and that she shouldn't do that, either, went unsaid. Because while he knew that this wouldn't last long, he suddenly found a shred of sensibility inside him that told him to honour the hospitality that she'd offered him, even if it would be short-lived.

"Don't worry, I don't rely on Woody's opinions. I can tell pretty well if people are worth having around," she replied with a smirk, leading him up to the house, though Marcus had difficulties not to trip over Woody as he walked. "I hope you like galaxy crab burgers."

"I'm used to eating what's available."

Marcus shrugged and followed her into the kitchen of the small house, not really paying attention to its interior – his mind was too occupied wondering about Katie.

"I know."

The confusion inside him only grew at the knowing smile she shot him before handing him a knife and vegetables, instructing him to chop them. Questions were burning on his tongue, but he didn't dare to interrupt the mix of light conversation and cooking instructions they slipped into. He knew himself that he wasn't easy to get to talk, and with his luck, he would just sound plain rude.

About an hour later, they were sitting on the roof terrace of Katie's house, empty plates in front of them, wine glasses in hand and gazing up to the stars while Woody was in the garden, barking at the sky in excitement. A comfortable silence had fallen over them, and Marcus had to admit that this was indeed a lot better than sitting around on his own, though he couldn't put his finger on a reason why.

Maybe it just was because someone had cared enough to spend time with him, preventing another planetside evening of loneliness.

He didn't know how many shooting stars he'd counted before he finally asked: "How do you know so much about… well, my situation without actually knowing me?"

Katie put her glass down and shifted on the comfy couch to face him. "Because I know that look. From myself. I used to work on a deep space science ship, the kind that are quite small, so I know just how it is to come back without anyone bothering to wait. I recognised the expression on your face immediately."

"So you decided to rescue me?" he asked sharply before he could think twice about his words, regret shooting through him immediately. He hadn't meant to be so rude, to disregard her kindness.

"Sometimes, only you can rescue yourself. I just thought I would open a door and get to know someone new."

She seemed weirdly calm about his outburst, even smiling softly as everything seemed to click into place for Marcus. Why he hadn't considered the possibility that she'd been down that road herself before, he didn't know, but it explained everything.

How small were the odds that in this infinite universe, with trillions of individuals, he came across the one that could relate to him completely?

"So, I just want you to know that you can talk, or not, if you don't want to. And that you're welcome to come visit after your next trip. If you want. Good company is weirdly hard to find in this galaxy."

"You're very convinced of yourself," Marcus teased, keeping his poker face up even though deep inside him, a little flicker of hope had just awakened and started to warm him.

The thought of having something or someone to come back to was nice, and somehow he felt a little lighter when they exchanged smirks before focusing on the stars again.


End file.
